


A Good Thing

by shamebucket



Series: Best Of [4]
Category: No Thank You!!! (Visual Novel)
Genre: Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sex, M/M, Referenced violence, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-10 21:31:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16462700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shamebucket/pseuds/shamebucket
Summary: Haru recognizes someone on his date with Hiroyuki.Spoilers for both all of NTY and for Room No. 9.





	A Good Thing

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going kind of loosey-goosey with the timeline here and it might not actually be canonically possible for it to happen this way but shhhhh it's not 100% clear which one of these games takes place first.
> 
> There's a brief mention of self-harm/suicide for those of you reading this who haven't played Rn9 and need the warning but it's like, a line.

It was supposed to be a good morning today, but for some reason I just feel itchy and bad. 

Hiroshi decided it'd be a good idea if we went out to eat something for breakfast after one of our shifts together. I don't hate the idea - Hiroshi's fun to be around and I can probably play with him afterwards when his belly is full and he's content. It's been nice, having sex with one person. I know this life isn't mine and I'm on borrowed time, but there's something uncomplicated and simple about Hiroshi that makes being with him feel so good. 

A part of me feels bad that a guy like him has been roped into this, but that's how it is on this bitch of an earth sometimes. And I guess he chose it, too, even though a bunch of people told him this is stupid. Hiroshi's stubborn like that. 

So, with all that said, I should feel happy to be spending time with this guy who I've been enjoying my one and only summer with. However, an irritation is crawling up my skin. I tap my fingers on my shorts and drink my water to try to cool myself off, but it keeps getting worse! 

Hiroshi looks up from his crepe and blinks, noticing I'm annoyed and staring behind him. He turns around and tries to follow where my eyes go, but I already trained them on the wall so he doesn't catch on. Plus, staring could get me caught. "Are you thinking about Yufumi?" he asks, some of the cream dotting his lips.

He would assume that. Of course he would. He's a good guy. "Yeah..." I lie. I'm not thinking about Squirt at all. She'll be fine. Or not. It's out of my hands now, for better or for worse. In my periphery, I see them, and all of my hairs on my arms stand on end. 

At first, I don't recognize them. They look vaguely familiar, like someone who was in a movie but wasn't the leading role. You know their faces, but not their names. My eyes were drawn to them immediately, but that in and of itself wasn't that surprising, considering the what I noticed. 

They're two guys, roughly my age, maybe a few years older. I wasn't sure what their relation was when I first saw them, but after they walked past me and sat down, it became very clear. They're definitely fucking. I could smell the sex on them. The cool looking guy with the glasses held out the chair for the chattier one, too. Smooth. If I had to guess, I bet the glasses guy got a BJ shortly before they came on this date. Looks like chatterbox is getting his just deserts, too, as glasses guy is spoon-feeding him a parfait at chatterbox's insistence. They probably got something cool because it's hot out and chatterbox is still wearing a sweater, for some reason. It's halfway cute and halfway sickening how glasses guy is doting on him. 

Sickening? 

For reasons that I'm having issues figuring out, I am extremely bothered by them. Do I know them from somewhere? Ex-clients, maybe? Nah, that doesn't make sense. They're too young and don't look wealthy enough for that sort of thing. Appearances can be deceiving, but they don't seem like the type, either. They look normal. Like Hiroshi. Someone who shouldn't be messing around with someone like me. I'm not the best at sussing out people's occupations unless they possess skills similar to mine, but they look like normal guys, fresh out of school. Glasses guy looks strong (if lithe), but not like he is capable of killing someone. He's too gentle for that.

They're just close enough so I can hear them if I perk up my ears. "You're sweating," the glasses guy says.

"Well, it's hot out, Seiji. 'Course I'd get hot." 

"I don't want you to get heat stroke." 

I've seemed deep in thought for a while now. Hiroshi smiles sympathetically at me. "Yeah, I'm worried about her, too. Do you think we did the right thing?" 

Out of the corner of my eye, I see chatterbox pout and start fiddling with the sleeves of his sweater. There's a brief argument, but I don't hear what's said. I focus entirely back on the man sitting in front of me. "It's what you wanted, right? To keep Squirt with her mom." 

Hiroshi's eyes turn downcast at my factual statement, and I sneak a look over at the two men. Finally, it clicks. Chatterbox took off his sweater, draping it over his legs, and there's a long, silver scar on the belly of his left arm, the same color as the scars on my body. People who didn't know any better would have thought he tried to kill himself, but I know the truth. 

For the first time, I almost feel indignant. Jealous. But I feel an angry, impatient confusion bubbling up inside me, too. Glasses guy is smiling gently at him as he talks, looks from side to side and, assessing that I'm not a threat, puts his hand over chatterbox's. 

Why? Why does chatterbox get that? If he's so much like Gramps, then why isn't he suffering? Why do they both get to live and be happy? 

"I guess I can just hope that she does the right thing and raise Yufumi well," Hiroshi finally says, poking the remnants of his crepe with his fork. "She deserves to have a good mom. A good family." Sounds like a nice fantasy. 

I try my best to ignore them and smile gently at Hiroshi. "Your speech was very persuasive. I think she'll at least try to take it to heart." I don't know if that's true, but it sounds nice to say, and probably like something a normal person would say. 

He snorts, embarrassed, and looks up at me through his eyelashes. "You're acting more serious than you usually do." 

I shrug, trying to release the tension in my shoulders, and lean back with my arms folded over my head. "Maybe you're rubbing off on me! Responsible, cute Piroshi showing me the light~."

"Hiroyuki," he reprimands, but there's no bite to his correction anymore. 

I grin luridly. "Say, I wouldn't mind if you rubbed one off on me, come to think of it." 

Hiroshi scrunches up his nose, but there's a light pink dusting on his cheeks. "Haru, don't say stuff like that in public. People might get the wrong idea." 

"What, that I want to have sex with you? Like we aren't having sex already? Unless you still want to save your dick virginity for someone who's more special than me." 

He looks slightly wistful, and maybe a little embarrassed. "I did want to save my first time for someone who's special, I guess. But, I mean..." He glances up at me, hopeful. 

It occurs to me that maybe I got the wrong idea. Hiroshi's a good guy, someone who shouldn't be involved with me, someone who I might be hurting by screwing around with him. But chatterbox hurt glasses guy just by being friends with him, and they're still okay, somehow, despite everything. He's not like me, but he's _like_ me, so maybe I can feel heartened by his successes and not feel bitter that this is the only summer I have. It's hard, when Hiroshi is making the good times so fun. I want to stay with him for longer. 

I reach over and pat his wrist. He startles slightly. "You'll find them someday!"

Hiroshi clears his throat. "Um, did you want to go back to my place?" Bold of him. Usually I'm the one who insists on sex. 

"You betcha!" I scarf down the rest of my croissant, bolt up, and rock on my heels. 

"Oh, uh, right now? Crap, let me finish." He shovels down his last few bites and gets up, not even wiping his face. I smirk. "What?" 

"Ah, nothing." 

We start walking back to his place, and, about halfway there, I pull him into an empty alleyway. "Haru, what are you - " He stops when I lick the cream and sugar off of his face. "Gahh, couldn't you have waited until we were inside?" I feel slightly proud that Hiroshi is more embarrassed that I did that in public rather than doing it at all, covering his face with his hands. 

I pull them down and kiss him, his pliant body melting against me. Hiroshi's so easy, it's adorable. I pull away and he pouts, greedy, wanting more. "It's summer. I've gotta have fun now. Everything's better in the summertime." 

Hiroshi blinks, but accepts my answer. It's better that he doesn't know the details. Maybe I should enjoy this while the going is good. Maybe I can have this slice of happiness, even if it's just this one summer. Even if it's all I deserve, I'll enjoy it while it lasts.


End file.
